Archive for September, 2008

September 30, 2008

The Sweet Smell of Progress

Sneaking out of the editing cave to let you all in on my progress!

As of this afternoon, I have scoured 42 of the 82 pages of my novella for edits! I have rewritten, deleted, and added in entire passages. Though I’m not thrilled with the piece yet, I do find the narrative feels much more natural. It’s difficult to get the right balance in first person present narration. I have no idea why the story was written that way except that it’s how it begged to be told. Maybe if I’d argued with the muse a little harder, the edits might have been smoother. But c’est la vie. Yesterday I wanted to set the manuscript on fire, so I think today’s outlook is a positive one.

What is everyone working on today?

September 28, 2008

Noticed?

The left sidebar has a Coming Soon section now. :)

And that Coming Soon section has a book. With a cover AND a blurb! *happy dance*

There’s no date set because I’m working on the edits. BUT- it’s nice to look at it and remind myself that I’ve got something coming. And that if I work hard, I can get it out there to you readers really soon. So I’m keeping it there to cheer myself on.

Plus- the cover ROCKS. So… yea. :D

September 25, 2008

The Hunt is On

Two posts ago, my girl Tempest Knight, from the always fun and inspiring Midnight Moon Cafe, asked me what I look for in an agent. I didn’t get a chance to answer her question, since I was all extra psyched by my book release and all, but I think it’s a very good question, so today, I’m going to take a few minutes to answer it to the best of my ability.

For starters, when searching for an agent, I always make it a point to look at ones’ whose work I recognize. What I mean by that is, very often, I’ll look for authors in similar genres or with similar styles as myself and then see who they work with. For instance, I would like an agent who doesn’t specialize in just one genre. Yes, I LOVE to write fantasy and science fiction, in fact, most of my current WIPs are in those categories. However, I am not a genre specific writer. I’m actually pretty all over the place. My muse is fickle and distracted very easily. I write whatever currently tickles her fancy. So I would need an agent who could represent anything I wrote. An agent who can look at my currently published 1950s comtemporary books and then at my 3 book epic fantasy series and not go, huh? What am I supposed to do with this?

I know that’s not always a good career path for some authors. It’s often suggested to find a niche, something you excel at so that you can more easily market yourself. And I totally understand that. But – well, I just don’t work that way.

I also think it’s important to have an agent who understands you as an author. Someone that you click with on a creative level. The agent/author relationship is one that will (hopefully) span an entire career. They will be there to see you grow, see you change, see you improve and become all you can be. They know the market better than we as authors do so they can give us some of the best guidance and direction around. For authors like myself, who tend to bleed genres, they can help you sharpen your skills so that no matter what masterpiece you whip together, it can sell.

In the end, I think when an agent is right for an author, you can just feel it. There’s a certain chemistry present, a certain magic that happens when they read your work and just understand what it is you’re trying to do. Those are the ones you want to stick with because those are the ones who are going to always be honest and up front and demand only the very best from their authors.

So that’s my little schpeel for today. Ha ha. As you can tell, I’ve thought about this a lot. I’m on an agent hunt myself. And although I have a small list of names, I truly feel that when the match is right, I’ll now.

September 23, 2008

Release Day!!!!

Hey everyone! Happy Tuesday and of course, Happy Release Day!

Cinematic Royalty

Charles Witmore is used to celebrities. As owner of the grand Winmont Hotel in Los Angeles, he has seen them come and go more times than he can count. But the experience is altogether different when silver screen starlet Bridget Phillips walks into his life and crashes into his heart. He’s absolutely starstruck. Her beauty is exactly as majestic as has been rumored, but he wonders about the many claims laid against the woman, who seems to be so shrouded in mystery.

Initially claimed by prejudice, he sees nothing more than the ice princess she presents, beautiful and stone cold. But, the more time she spends at his hotel, the more he begins to see there is more to her facade than meets the eye. Soon, she becomes the object of his affection, and in an amusing ploy, his two best friends, Betty and Eleanor, and his cute assistant Tessa, set up the matchmaking scheme of a lifetime.

But will Bridget’s dark secret keep Charles from his happily ever after?

Dark Hollywood Nights

Alexis Grant’s only job is to keep the prestigious Winmont Hotel running smoothly while her cousin, Charles Witmore, enjoys his honeymoon. The only problem: things begin to fall apart the moment he leaves. The pompous Chase Branton, who’s determined to get access to one of her off limits celebrity clients, doesn’t help.

Can she keep it together long enough to earn a managerial position of her own, or will a high profile death cause all of her dreams to shatter?

Available Now at: Freya’s Bower

http://www.freyasbower.com/

It can also be ordered into your local bookstore or from Amazon.com! Insane, isn’t it?! I’m so excited!!!

You’ve all heard me talk about Cinematic Royalty. How inspired I was by the fashions, the time period, the elegance, the manners!

Dark Hollywood Nights was different. I wanted to do something that still felt light and fun, but that changed the dynamic entirely. Hence, the comedic murder mystery. You may see a lot of film noir cliches. They’re meant to be silly. ;) I’m a HUGE fan of the movie Clue, which you might also notice when you read the book!

Another bonus? Dark Hollywood Nights is exclusive to this print edition of Cinematic Royalty! It will not be available as an e-book! So jump aboard! It’s supposed to be a good old time with a few surprises thrown in the mix. I had a lot of fun with these characters. And look out for cameos of some familiar characters from Cinematic! :D

And now, I leave you with a fun excerpt:

“Miss Pickens?” She knocked again. “I have your lunch available. I’m really sorry I’m late.”

No response. Chase reached across the cart. His hands grazed the skin of Miss Grant’s neck. Soft, smooth skin, like snow-white velvet. His fingers lingered.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice tight with panic.

“Making sure she’s in the room.” He removed the long chain with the heavy set of keys from her neck.

She stared at him, wide eyed. “You can’t just walk in.”

“It’s room service. Of course you can walk in.” He rummaged through the keys until he found one that looked like a master key. “Besides, you knocked. She didn’t answer.”

He turned the key, clicked the tab of the handle, and stepped inside. The door slid open, revealing a small foyer and three steps that led into the main suite.

“Miss Pickens,” Miss Grant called out.

There was no trace of panic in her voice. It came out light, musical, carefree. Interesting, he thought to himself. That kind of control was impressive. She left the cart near the door and rushed toward the steps. Chase caught the scent a minute too late. A rusty, foul metallic scent that put him on alert.

“Wait, Miss Grant, wait!”

She stopped short at the top stair. Her face blanched. Her words bled into an unintelligible concoction. Chase rushed to stand beside her. The sight verified his suspicion. A voluptuous female body lay sprawled on the ground. Her crimson blood seeped into the sandy brown carpet.

“Valerie Price,” he said.

Alexis Grant fainted.

Anyone interested in Cinematic Royalty bookmarks, drop me a line and I’ll get them out to you ASAP!

Happy release day!

September 21, 2008

Oh, uh… Sorry

I forgot that my Twitters connect to the blog. So twittering a billion times a day is probably NOT the best idea. Let me readjust this so that you’re all not bombarded with random messages. My apologies.

On the plus… I was agent hunting last night and found some promising prospects. *happy dance* I’ve definitely got a little folder going. :)

September 20, 2008

@cloudwoven In the same boat. …

@cloudwoven In the same boat. I had a shouting match with the tv and my tears last night due to exhaustion. Sleep is NOT overrated.

September 20, 2008

On a music binge. Creating sou…

On a music binge. Creating soundtracks is always so much fun!

September 20, 2008

@imogenhowson Got TwitterFox! …

@imogenhowson Got TwitterFox! Thank you!

September 19, 2008

@gwenhayes Congrats on the par…

@gwenhayes Congrats on the partial request!

September 19, 2008

@DaynaHart Sending love and po…

@DaynaHart Sending love and positive vibes your way. ((HUGS))

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